User blog:ChineseLegolas/Monthly Blog Post - December 2013
"I hate eHarmony." --Bub, commenting on his ad-"blocker" Introduction Herro, Merry Christmas, one and all! This will be the ONLY and I mean ONLY time you guys will see two Monthly Blogs in the same month. After, that's what makes them monthly. :P But, technically, that Pilot didn't count, so I'm safe. I also released this blog a tiny bit early, to allow feedback on the poll at the very end. So, December has come and gone, and with it, Christmas. Hope you guys had a Merry one. That being said, I FINALLY received my shipment of Lego parts. So, I'll treat you guys to a couple of sneak peeks. :D So, my December. Pretty uneventful. Just a couple of sessions of badminton with my buddies. I'm one of the best, yet I still can't beat one of the girls in my class. She shorter than me, so she can always block my chest-level smashes. :P (When I say shash, I mean downward drive. XD If you know badminton, you'll see the humour there.) Another highlight of my month happened, say, a week ago. My mom was sleeping in, but my dad barged in, waking her up, saying that he really needed a ride to work. However, she was angry because her dream was interrupted. Well. She was dreaming that she was twenty again, and dating a Korean actor. Dayum! (My mom has a thing for Korean hunks. It's beyond me -.-") So, my mom did in the end drive my dad, but she wasn't too happy about it. I also helped my mom a bit in gift wrapping, pretty standard stuff. Oh, my name change. I picked this name after seeing someone else use it on a game I play. It applies to me very well, actually. I'm Chinese, and Legolas is a badaass. Like me. ;D Most of you know that I still respond to Bub, so keep on calling me that. And school wise, I've been going nuts with uni applications and what not. UBC's Science Faculty is RIDICULOUS... Spotlight December has been quiet as of late, CHFW-wise. However, I would like to ramble a bit on the Christmas Contest. Though there was a smaller turnout than I would have liked, the entries were all new and refreshing. ('Cept for yours BZ. I remember seeing that one a while back. :P) As such, I'll do a really short review for each, except for my own, of course. BTD's entry was perhaps the most Christmas-themed of them all. Honestly, there is little to fault in his entry. Perhaps a more colourful sleigh wouldn't have hurt. The reindeer were, of course, based off of an old Bionicle build, but the horns were a nice touch. However, only one of them should have a red nose! Massive "OMFGBBQ" booster rockets wouldn't have hurt either. :P BZ's entry was a solid HF one. I believe this was called "Brutannicca" or something a while back. Anyways. Excellent part choice. I think you meant for the guy to be as smooth as possible, and you've certainly achieved that. Even the face is one with his body! I've noticed that the leg armor configuration is the exact same as Caine's Brain Attack form. Coincidence? There really isn't much else to say. The only criticism I have for you is to try and stray away from the standard Hero Factory building system. At last, for Stone Carson. Another solid HF MOC, this time a bit smaller. I like the interesting body configuration, which allows for much wider shoulders. However, one things I'd like to point out. The face...I don't know. It just doesn't MATCH up with the rest of the body. You go from smooth, then to the angular Avohkii. Other than that, my advice to you is the same as BZ's. Explore a bit, add pieces here and there. Try to stay away from the standard Hero Factory chassis. You'd be VERY surprised at the result of just the addition of a couple of well placed Technic pieces. MOC Review I already did that above. :P If you have a request, just put it in the comments. MOC Update Forgive the terrible lighting quality. They were taken in a rush. :P These were taken BEFORE my shipment arrived. Moya is the blue, Kaylenna is the black/purple. Nothing special to see here, I've barely started. Preview.JPG Xaedan1.JPG Xaedan.JPG The red one is Xaedan (pronounced ZAY-din), who's nearly done. I especially worked hard on him, due to the below short story. Comments on him are appreciated! The Floorscrap Corner Heh. I never said I would put in a Hero Factory MOC, now did I? I used to play with Star Wars when I was younger. I found my old Clone Army lying around somewhere, and I thought back to the happy days of Battlefront I and II. With those games in mind, I began to transform my clone army.... There are Shock Troopers/Sharpshooters, Heavy Troopers, Jet Troopers, Engineers, and your regular old Clone Troopers. The rest are still canon, but not found in Battlefront. They include: Assassin Clones, Riot Clones, Blaze Trooper, Clone Gunners. There is also Yoda! The Jedi with the blue 'saber is canon. The orange one, no. The huge Clone with the black armor with the scythe is meant to be a variant of the Clone Assassin. Artoo is also there. The Short Story As promised, here is a short story. Consorting With a Fiend, Part I Occurs some time after the fall of Infernum. I highly recommend you to read through the Infernum article first, at least the entry on Fiends. Before you read, I must warn you, my writing style seems to be very different from others. I decide to melt the floor. After all, there is scarce little to do around here. "Here" was a terribly murky and dark place. Absolutely nothing to do, rather boring. As far as my eyes can see, and my eyes can see quite far, there's just the same dull metal in any direction you care to name. Well, to be fair, there's this hazy, dark red mist everywhere, so there's really not much to see. And this faint stench lingered about. No doubt I smell like that as well now. I've been trapped here for... I don't know. I think "bound" would be a better term. I don't like thinking about my situation that much. No one was here. Not a soul. I'm all alone. It could be worse. I could be dead. Wait. That would actually be better. I decide to turn my thoughts away from such dark ideas and concentrate on my current little gambit to pass time. Melting the floor. Last time, I managed to incinerate a dead leaf I found somewhere, so this shouldn't be too big of a gap. I flex my wrist. A flame sparks from nothingness, though it does little to warm up my cold metallic fingers. Did I mention it's also freezing in here? Well, if I didn't, it is very, very cold. Very. I coax the little flame to expand, and it responds eagerly, hungrily. This fire likes being alive, bright and warm. How unlike me. As I looked at the metal floor beneath me and was preparing to wash the flame over it, I hear an odd thunk. I extinguish the fireball. And I listen. Everything, right down to the last fiber optic, is straining, and hoping. Hoping for what, I'm not sure. Anything, perhaps. Silence reigned for the longest, most unbearable time. Then, a quiet shuffle. A sharp clang, and a muffled curse. I look around, startled. Someone else was here? Impossible. I am the last, the final remnant of an experiment gone awry. I am nothing, so why should some''thing come near me? Perhaps I should stand and greet whoever is coming this way. However...I don't think I've stood for quite a while now. I think's it's been... twenty, perhaps thirty hours? Time is difficult here. After contemplating on the deeply philosophical conundrum of how long I've spent sitting, I start to compose myself, by finally standing and brushing away a bit of dust that accumulated on my leg. I cross my arms, adopt the most regal pose I can given my circumstances, and I wait. Rhythmic clangs echo through the room, so it sounds like a small army is marching towards me. That wouldn't be the first that's happened to me. I remember, quite some time ago, when.... A cough. "Bleh. What IS this smell?" A youthful voice pierces the gloom with it's richness and resonance. So lost was I in my thoughts, I didn't even notice the newcomer. I manage to hold in my shocked gasp, barely, and turn my gaze at him. A Hero, but nothing like what I've ever seen before. Very thick armour, and with a visor of sorts. Red and black he was. At least, I think he is a he. He's so bulky, it's rather difficult to tell. Any other fine details are shrouded by that accursed red mist. Wonderful colours, red and black. Just like my own body. And so, an excellently coloured Hero stood not ten meters from me, complaining about the room's stench. "Come here," I say, startling myself a bit. How nice to hear myself again! It's been a while since I talked at all, and my voice sounds the same as it did... some time ago. I don't remember how long it has been, really. The Hero whirls with precision and reflexes so obviously born out of numerous battles. Flames curl around one of his fists. Oh! How very attractive! That is exactly something I would do, summon fire in an instant. As perfectly coloured and just like me he is, he is not moving. "Come here," I repeat. I add a touch of force into my voice. Fire still licks at his curled fist. His mouth stays resolutely shut, and his legs are still persistently unmoving. I see that his entire right arm is encased in a gauntlet, with a dragon's head. Not half-bad. But, still, this stubborn Hero wouldn't budge. "Oh? Oh, have I been rude, Hero? Well! You're cordially invited to move your damn legs towards me!" That could have come out a bit less heavy, but I think it did the trick. The Hero rears back just the slightest, but decides to shuffle a fraction of a bit closer. He still makes no move to lower his flaming gauntlet. "Why?" he grunts in a most rude manner. I smile patiently, like a mother with a defiant child. "Why, you ask? Because I told you so, silly Hero. Now, come here." "I'm not moving until you answer a question. What's the red stuff all over you?" I raise an eyebrow, and look down. Sure enough, there were faded red blotches all over me. I scrape some off my forearm with a finger, while avoiding a bit of rust that had sprung up there, and lick it. "Blood!" I proclaim triumphantly. Oh my. I seem to have scared the Hero. Not only does he shake his flaming fist at me and drop his visor, but he seems to have sprouted guns from his back as well. He looks ludicrous. "Interesting choice of weaponry, Hero. Do they call you Porcupine? No, no. Hedgehog, perhaps?" He seem less focused in shooting me, and more in backing up. He certainly must be spooked. By what, I'm a bit unsure. It's just blood. I mean, yes, I'm covered in it, but really... "I-I know you. I know what you are!" the red Hero choked out. "Those weird y-yellow eyes, the bloodstained body! You're a Fiend!" I smirk and begin to tease him, just a touch. I make no move to affirm or reject his observation, however. "What's wrong with that? Is my body not attractive? And I hear that yellow eyes are quite in style these days." I was one of the few female Fiends, so the Architect went out of his way to forge a couple of appropriately shaped vessels. Thank goodness for that. I like my current vessel, thank you very much, which is reminiscient of a human female. I would hate to have one of those beefed-up male ones. They look like toasters on steroids. He blanches from behind his visor. His fear is so obvious, even through his helmet, and the red mist. The Hero looks like he is about to turn tail and run. "N-No. But, I know w-what you'll do to me! You'll eat my soul!" I stare at him. And I laugh. "Your soul, your soul! I'll eat YOUR soul? Ha! Little Hero, wherever did you get that idea?" The Hero, just about to run, froze. "H-huh?" I wipe away a figurative tear. "Hero, you must be a jester from where you come." The Hero frowns and his visor rises. He seems to have visibly relaxed, and the tension drains from his shoulders and face, and is replaced with annoyance. "No, I'm not," he grumbled, indignant. "And stop calling me Hero! I have a name!" I wait expectantly. A moment of quiet passes. "So. What is it?" The Hero seems astonished. "You won't use any of your Fiendish mojo to find out? I thought you guys had mad powers or something... Call me Xaedan." I nod, just once. "Well, Xaedan ''Smokestack, (At that, Xaedan widens his eyes. It never hurts to show off just a bit, though I did give him the chance of introducing himself.) I'm very pleased to make your acquiantance. I'm..." I grind to a stop, and stare ahead. Oh dear. "...I-I'm not sure, really, what my name is. Us Fiends aren't given one." Now it is Xaedan's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Can I just call you, I dunno, Mary?" I cough lightly and rock backwards in surprise. "'Mary'? Honestly? Well, it's better than nothing, I suppose." And with that, our conversation grinds to an awkward halt. For a lengthy minute, time does what time does best. It passes. Xaedan shifts and opens his mouth to shatter the brooding silence. "Erm, well, Mary. I kinda have to go now. I guess it was...nice... meeting you." He turns. I start. He's leaving? Already? No. No! No, no, no...! "Xaedan!" I exclaim. "Please stay!" And with that, I reach out towards him. What foolish business. I should have known better than to do that! After all this time, I fall, again and again, for the same stupid, STUPID trap. Stupid... My fingertip stretches out, and flames sear across it instantly spreading to my forearm. This fire is also bright and warm, but, somehow, malicious. Hungry to harm me. Yes, fire. The one thing I have complete control over is my curse. What irony. I howl. All at once, my screams of pain echo through the chamber. Not so long ago, an army was tramping in this same hall. Now, it is the echoey, wretched screams of a million damned souls crying out. Annnnnnnd that's 1000 words! (1400+, actually) With that HUGE cliffhanger, I shall leave you all to wonder what has just happened. This has been quite simple so far, so hopefully, no one is confused. The Recommendations *Recommended song: Whew, difficult choice with this one. I've found a truckload of nice tunes this month, but, these two stood out. Enjoy! (It's a bit loud, so don't play this with speakers, use headphones. First one is a spiffy Drum 'n Bass. The second is "Mary"'s theme song, alternative rock.) http://www.listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=0LiKOI550JM http://www.listenonrepeat.com/watch?v=ZlQGgDE9NNk *Recommended foodstuff: Nutella, guys. Man, I spoon this stuff into my mouth. Straight from the jar. The Outtro Aight, I'm out. I hoped you enjoyed my first monthly blog. I really did put in quite a bit effort into making it nice, as well as writing the story which I'm VERY excited about! There will be a second, maybe a third, part. Comments on the story are hearilty encouraged. I've used my usual "crispy" style of writing (some people even describe it as "skeletal"), combining half-sentences with full ones, for effect. I find that it is very suitable for short stories. However, this is the first first-person story I've written in a while. In the future, I may even issue a contest to build "Mary". We'll see. I'll have very high expectations for the entries, however. About contests. Our beloved Admin, Delta, has proposed a quick New Year's writing contest. I'm all for this. However, I'll only allow this contest if there are at LEAST 5 entires. New Year's Writing Contest? Yay! Nay... And, as promised, here's Caine's pictoral misadventure: And I didn't have enough time to create my server's advertisement. Feast your eyes on my signature instead. :P McF4rtson!!! TwinkieCraft is back. IP:24.207.71.100 Category:Blog posts